1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to open boat hull structures and, in particular, to the structures of open boat hulls which are assembled from components formed of molded glass fiber material.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the construction of an open glass fiber boat hull of conventional construction, a layer of gel is firstly applied to the surface of a mold, and glass fiber is then applied on top of the gel coating. Usually, a foam core is formed in the glass fiber. When the glass fiber has cured, the component thus formed is removed from the mold. The gel coating then forms a smooth surface on one side of the component, while the opposite surface of the component remains rough. The component is then joined at the sheer to other components to form an open boat hull structure. These components usually comprise a hull component, forming the underside and the side of a hull, and a deck or liner component, which is mounted on the hull component in such way that a sealed hull void is formed between the hull component and the deck component. The hull and deck components are joined at the sheer or gunwale, which results in both of these components extending from the chine to the sheer, with consequential use of undesirably long construction times and the use of undesirably large amounts of material.